1953
by Stony22
Summary: Steve comes home from The Korean War and visits Tony.


"Hello there, my handsome hero! Come on in, there's a cup of tea with your name on it in the kitchen," Tony said with a smile. It was a month after the Korean War officially ended and Steve was back on American soil.

Steve thanked him and Tony stepped to the side to allow Steve to come into his home. He led Steve to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for him. Steve sat down and Tony kissed him on the cheek before taking the seat across from him.

They sat in silence for a while. It was clear that something was bothering Steve; he was staring down at his tea and tapping his leg, making the table jiggle enough to gently slosh their beverages around.

Tony reached his hand out to Steve's to steady it. "What's wrong? Something happen at work today? You know if you start working for Stark Industries I can take good care of you," Tony winked.

Steve shook his head "no" and still wouldn't look up. He didn't even laugh at Tony's joke.

"Well, what is it then?" Tony asked.

Steve sighed. "We need to end this."

The words struck Tony like a ton of bricks. It was the last thing Tony expected to hear; he thought everything was going smoothly. Steve hadn't indicated that he was unhappy before, so Tony didn't understand.

"Why? We've been doing great for so long…You're talking nonsense; don't joke with me like that," Tony replied.

Steve looked up. His eyes showed seriousness that Tony had never seen before. "Who says I'm joking."

"You still didn't answer my question… Why? And you're saying something so asinine that I know tomorrow you'll be in your right mind again. No need to say such crazy things," Tony said, meeting Steve's glare.

"I'm going to marry that cute little gal from the diner," Steve said.

Tony furrowed his brow and shook his head in disbelief. "Beth doesn't even like you! Every time I've seen you there she hasn't even so much as looked your way!"

"I've been seeing her since I re-enlisted. Now that the war's over and I've landed a job with the House Un-American Committee I know I can propose and Beth's father will give his blessing. He'll respect me now and he'll know I can take care of her. We need to keep the Commies at bay, after all," Steve answered.

"Impossible…You want to throw away years with me for a girl who's just going to become a simple housewife… That can't be true at all. You'd never lie to me."

"It's time to give up this charade. I need a wife who will give me children, a two story house with the white picket fence… It's time to settle down and make a normal life for myself," Steve said.

"What charade? You love me and I love you. Sure it's been kind of tough sometimes because we can't acknowledge our relationship in public. But you said that you didn't care, that we were doing just fine… I thought you were a man of your word!" Tony got up and forcefully brought his hands down on the table.

Steve gripped his teacup. "I came to my senses."

"No, you've lost your mind! The war must've rattled your brain!" Tony exclaimed.

"When we found each other I was young and too idealistic… It was wrong of me to promise 'forever' to you."

"You're only thirty three! You should be set in your ways by now and stay with me!" Tony took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Look, I get it; you're having a bit of a crisis. Let me calm you down like I always do."

Tony walked around the table to Steve's side and leaned down to kiss him. Steve gently pushed Tony away and stood up.

"Rejecting me… After all we've been through. Stop playing games with me," Tony hissed.

Steve looked down. "I'm not playing games. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I know this can't continue."

"I have money, you know! People can be bought off, I can keep you out of the public eye, we can move to Hollywood where people don't care as much… We can be happy! I can guarantee you that. Go home and pack your bags, we'll leave tonight."

Tony hurried into the living room over to the rotary phone to call for his limousine driver. Steve rushed after him and gripped Tony's hand. He swung Tony around and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"We're over, and you need to accept that. I'm not going anywhere with you; I'm going to get married and start a family," Steve said.

He let go of Tony and turned to leave, but Tony moved in front of Steve and got down on his knees.

Tony hugged Steve around the waist and looked up at him. "Please don't do this… We'll be okay, I promise. You, me, and a great life. Don't throw us away for nothing! This is all in your head, stay here and we'll leave first thing in the morning… Maybe there's something in the water in Korea... Hollywood will make everything better and we'll have our whole lives ahead of us!" Tony pleaded.

Steve forcibly ripped Tony's hands away and stepped to the side. Tony fell to his hands and knees.

"Maybe in another time we could've been happy, Tony," Steve said coldly. "And you may want to get a lawyer. You're currently under investigation."

Tony watched in disbelief as Steve walked out the door. Steve didn't look back.


End file.
